




As light as airHitoe® Fold Aria - Monocromo -
Sophisticated Monotone
The Hitoe® Fold series will be updated with new specifications to commemorate its 5th anniversary in 2025.
Details of the improvements can be found at the following link.
New Aria & Less – Slimmer, More Beautiful
With this update, the current model is available at a special price while supplies last.
The release date for the new model is yet to be determined.
concept
Light as air, beautiful
"Aria" — Italian for "air," and a beautifully melodic solo song.
As the name suggests, this wallet is so light, thin, and beautiful that you'll forget it's even there.
About Monocromo Leather
Refined Monochrome
“Monocromo” means “monochrome” in Italian.
The outer leather features a textured white grain, while the interior is finished in smooth black—creating a striking two-tone contrast.
technology
Innovative ideas and the exquisite skills of craftsmen
| Patented technology inner hook
This patented technology uses the card itself as the fastener, a completely new concept. It eliminates the need for any metal fittings, resulting in a thin, flat design. Since the wallet won't open if the card is opened incorrectly, there's no worry of coins spilling out.
| Extremely thin Hitoe® structure
The "Hitoe® structure" allows you to arrange cards, coins, and banknotes without overlapping them, achieving an astonishingly thin design without compromising storage capacity. The overlapping of leather is also limited to a maximum of five layers.
Even with 10 banknotes, 15 coins, and 6 cards stored inside, the thickness is only 12mm * .
* Thickest part excluding the coin pocket
| The finest, unparalleled tailoring
"Musou-jitate" is a technique that uses two pieces of leather bonded together to create a smooth finish that resembles a single piece of leather. This technique, which combines durability and elegance, embodies the exquisite and skilled craftsmanship of artisans.
| Slip-free design (patent pending)
Inserting and removing cards is always smooth, yet they are less likely to accidentally fall out.
design
The harmony of beauty and function guided by the laws of nature.
| Ultimate Functional Beauty
"Perfection is the state in which it cannot be further refined." — Antoine de Saint-Exupéry <br> Through sophisticated design and exquisite craftsmanship, we have pursued thinness, lightness, and functional beauty.
| The laws of beauty created by nature
The beautiful harmony of the natural world, as depicted by the Fibonacci sequence, has been incorporated into the proportions of this wallet.
Each time you pick it up, you'll feel its harmonious beauty resonate deeply within your heart.
| Aesthetics of detail
Delicate stitching, carefully polished leather edges, and thin lines along the rim.
The aesthetic sensibility evident in the details gives this wallet a profound presence.
| Details for thinness
The leather pieces were sewn together on the outside, minimizing overlap.
These details are faithful to the ideal we are striving for.
| Beauty achieved solely through leather
There are no metal fittings or flaps. It's a simple design that just uses leather to hold everything in place. Because there's nothing extra to it, it won't snag on anything, and you can carry it smartly wherever you go.
Durable and beautiful for a long time
No metal parts were used, and the stitching was placed in locations that are less likely to wear out.
The easily damaged corners are reinforced with extra layers of leather to improve durability.
Furthermore, the seams are extremely thin, making it less likely to lose its shape even when placed in a pocket.
Ease of use
Make your daily routines simpler.
One-action comfort
Simply bend your wallet into a "V" shape. You can instantly take out both banknotes and cards.
Paying at the register is smooth and smart.
| Without folding the banknotes, as they are.
Banknotes can be stored as they are. They won't get creased, and you can use vending machines and self-checkout machines smoothly.
| Temporary cards are also beautiful
The bill holder section can store cards you don't use often. It doesn't affect the opening and closing of the wallet, and it's just as easy to take them out.
| Easy-to-access, spill-proof coin pocket
The coin pocket features a simple design without zippers or snaps. Its shallow pocket and short flap make it easy to access and prevent coins from spilling out. It has a storage capacity of 15 coins (999 yen) or more.
| Compact Yet Global
Surprisingly, many currencies around the world are larger than Japan’s ¥10,000 bill or ¥500 coin.
This wallet accommodates most of them, making it comfortable to use even when traveling abroad.
| Comfortable pockets
It's so thin you'll forget you even have it in your pocket.
Bring minimalist choices into your daily life that will lighten your spirit as well.
Origins
Monocromo, meaning "monochrome" in Italian.
The outer leather is white with a textured grain, and the inner leather is smooth black, creating a distinctive two-tone contrast.
Tanning and Manufacturing
The outer leather is made from single butt (back to waist) of adult cattle from Northern Europe. After white tanning, it is dyed with aniline and then finished by spraying pigments. It is resistant to scratches, dirt, and water, and hardly ages, so it can retain its original appearance for a long time.
Single butt is the densest and finest grained part of the hide, providing a uniform and beautiful grain even after shibori processing.
LWG (Leather Working Group) environmental certification Gold rated.
Maintenance
Although the leather is resistant to scratches, dirt, and water, if it gets wet, wipe it off immediately and regularly remove dust from the surface with a soft cloth. For more details, please refer to here.
Color

Monocromo
* Please note that the displayed color and the actual color may differ slightly depending on your monitor environment or production lot.
Globally Recognized Innovation
The Hitoe® Fold series has won a total of 20 awards, including the iF Design Award (Germany), Red Dot Award (Germany), and IDEA (USA) — three of the world's most prestigious design awards — as well as the Chicago Good Design (USA) and German Design Awards (Germany). It has been highly praised for its minimalist design and comfortable usability.
Hitoe® Fold Aria: 12 awards
Hitoe® Fold Less: 6 awards
Hitoe® Fold: 2 awards
Awards

Social Products Award 2025
Hitoe® Fold Aria -Mushroom-
This is Japan's first award system that highlights excellent "social products" that contribute to the realization of a sustainable society, evaluating both their social and commercial value.

IDEA 2023
Hitoe® Fold Less
The IDEA (International Design Excellence Awards) are organized by the IDSA (Industrial Designers Society of America) and are one of the world's three major design awards. They focus on industrial design, with evaluation criteria including innovation, user value, and contributions to social responsibility such as environmental consideration.

iF Design Award 2023
Hitoe® Fold Less
Organized by the iF Industrie Forum Design in Hanover, Germany, this is one of the most renowned and prestigious international design awards, judging industrial products from around the world. It is one of the world's three major design awards.

Good Design Award 2022
Hitoe® Fold Less
Started in 1950 by the Chicago Athenaeum Museum, this is one of the oldest design awards in the world. Edgar Kaufmann Jr. of MoMA (Museum of Modern Art, New York) founded this award with pioneers of modern design such as Charles & Ray Eames, Russel Wright, George Nelson, and Eero Saarinen.
It is not related to Japan's Good Design Award and is a globally highly valued award alongside the Red Dot Design Award and the iF Design Award.

German Design Awards 2023
Hitoe® Fold Less
This is an international design award organized by the German Design Council, established in 1953. It is a prestigious award where only products that have won design awards in various countries around the world and are recognized as excellent designs are nominated by the German Design Council.

DFA Design for Asia Awards 2022
Hitoe® Fold Less
Established in 2003 by the Hong Kong Design Centre, this is an international design award that recognizes excellent designs from an Asian perspective. It is judged and awarded based on four perspectives: overall design excellence, technical applicability, impact on Asia, and commercial and social success.

DNA Paris Design Awards 2022
Hitoe® Fold Aria
The DNA Paris Design Awards is a global design award that honors the best designers in architecture, interior design, landscape design, graphic design, and product design.

Omotenashi Selection 2022
Hitoe® Fold Less
This award was established with the aim of discovering excellent products and services imbued with Japan's outstanding "omotenashi spirit" and promoting them to the world. It selects "Japan-unique charms that we want to share with the world," including meticulous craftsmanship born from a consideration for users, and creative ingenuity that improves upon traditions.

A’ Design Award & Competition 2022
Hitoe® Fold Aria
This is one of the world's largest design competitions, selecting the best designs, design concepts, products, and services. It is globally recognized as a barometer for the quality and completeness of design.

iF Design Award 2022
Hitoe® Fold Aria
Organized by the iF Industrie Forum Design in Hanover, Germany, this is one of the most renowned and prestigious international design awards, judging industrial products from around the world. It is one of the world's three major design awards.

Red Dot Award 2022
Hitoe® Fold Aria
As one of the world's three major design awards, this is one of the most prestigious international design awards, receiving over 10,000 entries annually from companies, organizations, and designers in over 60 countries worldwide. It is organized by the Design Zentrum Nordrhein Westfalen in Germany.

London International Creative Competition 2021
Hitoe® Fold Aria
This competition aims to serve as a medium connecting talented artists with international audiences, with artists participating from all over the world. Distinguished individuals from six fields (architecture, interior, art, graphic, photography, and product) serve as judges, and it has been held annually since 2006, based in London, a hub for highly acclaimed international artists.

IDA Design Awards 2021
Hitoe® Fold Aria
Established in Los Angeles in 2007, this international design award seeks to discover and recognize visionary design excellence across a wide range of fields.
Comprising five categories—architecture, interior, product, fashion, and graphic design—it annually showcases a selection of outstanding works by talented designers from around the world.

NY Product Design Awards 2021
Hitoe® Fold Aria
This is an award specializing in product design, organized by the International Award Associate (USA), newly established in 2021.
Its purpose is to recognize excellent product designers who enrich daily life, and in its inaugural year, it received over 500 entries from around the world.

MUSE Design Awards 2021
Hitoe® Fold Aria
This is one of the international award programs organized by the International Award Associate (USA), which aims to create new standards of value in design. It is awarded to designers who possess overwhelming creativity and technical prowess, like a "Muse."

European Product Design Award 2021
Hitoe® Fold Aria
This design competition was established to honor the efforts of talented international product designers. The most beautiful, functional, and innovative products are selected from thousands of design projects submitted from around the world.

K-DESIGN AWARD 2021
Hitoe® Fold Aria
This is an international design competition organized by the Korean design portal "DESIGNSORI." It is one of the prestigious design awards recognized as one of Asia's three major design awards, alongside the "GOLDEN PIN DESIGN AWARD" and the "DFA Design for Asia Awards."

Omotenashi Selection 2021
Hitoe® Fold Aria
This award was established with the aim of discovering excellent products and services imbued with Japan's outstanding "omotenashi spirit" and promoting them to the world. It selects "Japan-unique charms that we want to share with the world," including meticulous craftsmanship born from a consideration for users, and creative ingenuity that improves upon traditions.

Omotenashi Selection 2020
Hitoe® Fold
This award was established with the aim of discovering excellent products and services imbued with Japan's outstanding "omotenashi spirit" and promoting them to the world. It selects "Japan-unique charms that we want to share with the world," including meticulous craftsmanship born from a consideration for users, and creative ingenuity that improves upon traditions.

Campfire Crowdfunding Award 2020
Hitoe® Fold
This award recognizes particularly outstanding endeavors among over ten thousand projects hosted on the crowdfunding platform Campfire.
Crowdfunding
From June 2021 to February 2025, the Hitoe® Fold series achieved the remarkable feat of monopolizing the top three positions in fundraising for bifold wallets through crowdfunding in Japan for five consecutive years (according to our own research).
2020

51,795,439 yen・3500 people
Hitoe® Fold v.2019 -Liscio-
Achieved the highest crowdfunding amount for a wallet in Japan
2021

78,540,000 yen・2480 people
Hitoe® Fold Aria -Foschia-
Achieved the highest crowdfunding amount for a wallet in Japan

55,481,020 yen・2959 people
Hitoe® Fold v.2021 -Liscio-
Monopolized the top 1-3 positions in crowdfunding for wallets in Japan
2022

25,944,600 yen・873 people
Hitoe® Fold Less -Foschia-

13,002,000 yen・394 people
Hitoe® Fold Aria -Ortensia- & Hitoe® Fold Aria -Monocromo-

16,816,016 yen・1130 people
Hitoe® Fold v.2021 -Liscio-
2023

40,282,000 yen・1831 people
Hitoe® Fold v.2023 -Liscio-
Total crowdfunding reached 400 million yen
2024

1,782,000 yen・45 people
Hitoe® Fold Aria -Mushroom-
2025

12,971,200 yen・536 people
Hitoe® Fold v.2025- Antico -
Q. I can't open and close it smoothly. Is there any trick to it?
To open and close your wallet smoothly, follow the steps below.
[When opening] Bend the border between the coin pocket and the card pocket into a "U" shape and the inner hook will come off naturally. There is no need to touch the inner hook directly.
[When closing] While lightly pressing the top, bend it into an "U" shape in the same way, and the inner hook will naturally catch on the card.
Q. My wallet becomes distorted when closed.
This is because the inner hook is attached to the outside of the wallet, so make sure to only attach it to cards that you store inside.

Q. It's difficult to remove cards and it feels cramped
The card pockets are intentionally designed to be a little tight so that they do not become too loose, so they may feel cramped at first. However, over time, they will become more snug and easier to access.
If the bag is too tight at first, try using one less layer and taking it in and out several times to allow the leather to become accustomed to the bag before using it again.
Q: Will the cards fall out?
When the wallet is closed, the inner hooks catch the cards so they won't fall out.
The case has an anti-slip coating so cards are less likely to fall out even when open.
In particular, the slip-less design (patent pending) of the Hitoe® Fold Aria and Hitoe® Fold Less makes them even less likely to fall.
Please note that the anti-slip properties will be less effective if the wallet is laid horizontally.
Q. Will the coins spill?
The wallet has a coin-proof lid that will not spill out with normal use. As the leather breaks in, it becomes even more stable.
Please note that because this wallet has a vertical design, coins are likely to spill out if opened horizontally like a typical bi-fold wallet.
Q. I'm bothered by the sound of coins.
When you put your wallet in your pocket, if you store it with the coin pocket vertically, the coins will not make any noise and will be easier to line up automatically.
Q. Should I choose right-handed or left-handed?
If you use your right hand to insert and remove cards or coins, select right-handed. If you use your left hand, select left-handed.
Q. Will the coins spill out if I open it upside down?
Don't worry, if you turn the wallet inside out, the inner hook will not come off and the wallet will not open.
The surfaces can be identified as follows (for right-handed users):
- No stitching on the right side
- The right side is the side where the card looks wider
Q. Can the magnetic stripes of cards be stacked?
Modern magnetic stripes are highly resistant to magnetism and can be stacked without any problems. Also, stacking IC chips has no effect.
However, the magnetic properties of old magnetic cards, such as bank cards, may have weakened, so as a precaution we recommend storing them so that the magnetic stripes are not touching each other.
| Product Name | Hitoe® Fold | Hitoe® Fold Aria | Hitoe® Fold Less |
| Manufacturing Method |
Single-piece construction Thick leather without lining |
Musou construction The ultimate luxury in leather goods, bonding thin leather pieces |
|
|
Card anti-drop Slipless |
△ | ◯ | |
| Size | W86 × H89 mm | W89 × H91 mm | W89 × H89 mm |
| Weight | 36 g | 30 g | 29 g |
| Thickness (thickest part) |
6 cards 10 100-yen coins 10 banknotes when stored 13 mm |
6 cards 10 100-yen coins 10 banknotes when stored 12 mm |
3 cards 6 100-yen coins 10 banknotes when stored 9 mm |
| Maximum Capacity | 6 -7 cards 20 coins 15 banknotes |
6 cards 20 coins 15 banknotes |
3 cards 15 coins 15 banknotes |
* Card counts assume non-embossed cards.
* Hitoe® Fold can hold 7 cards once the leather is broken in.
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I used to use a large long wallet, and it was a real hassle to switch wallets every time I used a small bag. I tried various small wallets, but they were difficult to use, and I think I've finally found a good one. I've just started using it and I'm still getting used to it, but I really like the size, color, and shape. This white color in particular is ideal, and I hope it stays this color. ___ 181 ___ Right now, it's difficult to take out and put in my cards unless I reduce the number of cards I have, but even after reducing them, I still have a little trouble finding the card I'm looking for. I'll try to reduce the number of cards even more and find a way to make it work for me.
___ 183 ___
About Monocromo Leather
Q&A|Hitoe® Fold
Hitoe® Fold Series Comparison Chart
specification